Acute anti-inflammatory activity of Artemisia campestris and Citrus aurantium: Effects of essential oil combinations

Abstract

The search for effective anti-inflammatory agents with minimal side effects using mixture of natural products extracts is an important area of research. The aim of the present study was to investigate the in vivo synergetic effects on the acute anti-inflammatory responses using binary combinations of essential oils at different volume ratios. Two plants were utilized: the aerial parts of Artemisia campestris (A.c) and the fruit peels of Citrus aurantium (C.a). The results demonstrated the existence of interesting synergistic effects for the mixture ratios C.a/A.c = 80/20, 70/30, 60/40 and 50/50 “v/v”. Among these, the most significant synergistic effect, particularly strong synergism, was observed for the 70/30 mixture ratio, with CI values of 0.24, 0.33, and 0.27 for doses of 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg, respectively. However, an antagonist effect was observed for the mixture ratio C.a/A.c = 90/10. The dose reduction index (DRI) analysis revealed that the dose of C.a can be reduced by 7.09-fold, and similarly, the dose of A.c can be reduced by 9.64-fold in the combination, compared to the ED50 values of each essential oil. The favorable DRI (>1) indicates a potential for dose reduction, leading to a reduction in toxicity. The findings support the potential application of these plants extracts in the management of inflammation and highlight the importance of optimizing the mixture ratios to achieve greatest synergistic effects. Moreover, these findings may have significant implications for food and pharmaceutical industries, particularly in terms of economic efficiency and reduced toxicity.